1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication apparatus and, more particularly, to a wireless communication apparatus which, after establishing connection with another wireless communication apparatus, automatically changes setups for discovery or connection with respect to still another wireless communication apparatus except for the connected wireless communication apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Bluetooth technique capable of achieving short-distance wireless communication between a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses has recently been developed along with the development of the wireless communication technology. An example of techniques adopting the Bluetooth technique is Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-189974.
Regarding the process up to establishing connection between wireless communication apparatuses in Bluetooth which is one of wireless communication schemes, the prior art reads,
“To communicate with another device, a given device makes an inquiry to check whether a device equipped with Bluetooth exists in a range where its radio waves can reach. The device checks an inquiry from another device by inquiry scan, and responds to the inquiry by an inquiry response function. The device can know the 48-bit address of the partner through an inquiry response which transmits an FHS (Frequency Hopping Synchronization) packet. Connection is set between these devices by the address. The paging device which wants to set connection starts a page process by using a specific address. At this time, the paged device periodically performs page scan. Since the normal page period is longer than the page scan period, the paged device can set connection with the paging device Upon recognizing through page scan that it has been paged, the paged device immediately starts a process of setting connection. In a normal state, connection is set.”
As described above, when wireless communication apparatuses are to communicate with each other, the first wireless communication apparatus which wants to perform wireless communication sends an inquiry signal to peripheral wireless communication apparatuses. The second wireless communication apparatus which has received the inquiry signal sends back a response to the first wireless communication apparatus. The first wireless communication apparatus receives the response to the inquiry, and discovers the wireless communication apparatus which exists near itself. To request connection, the first wireless communication apparatus sends a page signal to the second wireless communication which has sent back the response. Then, the second wireless communication apparatus receives the page signal, and sends back a page response to the first wireless communication apparatus. Connection between the wireless communication apparatuses is established through this process, and wireless communication is enabled.
Bluetooth assumes that a wireless communication apparatus establishes connections with a plurality of wireless communication apparatuses and communicates with them. Even if a wireless communication apparatus establishes connection with another wireless communication apparatus and does not want to be connected to still another wireless communication apparatus, the wireless communication apparatus performs response processing to an inquiry or page sent from still another wireless communication apparatus. This may interfere with communication with the currently connected wireless communication apparatus.
When authentication is set to be performed in connection, the wireless communication apparatus is prompted to input an authentication code every time it receives a page from another wireless communication apparatus. This forces the user to perform an unwanted operation.